Patlabor Fan Fiction ❯ Personal Files ❯ Episode 19 ( Chapter 6 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Patlabor: Personal Files

An Episodic Patlabor Fanfic by David A. Tatum

Disclaimer: Insert legal junk here...



Episode 19: Unhappy Birthday To You

March 27, 2000



Noa yawned as Asuma drove them along the highway. "Why'd we have to
leave so early?"



He laughed. "It's a five hour drive, and we've got to get there by
eleven. You CAN sleep, you know- you aren't the one who's driving."



"I always get a crick in my neck when I sleep in a car," Noa complained.
She glanced at him with some concern. "Are you sure you want to drive
all the way, both ways? I DO know how to drive a car, you know, and I
DO have a license. I've even been there before and know the way."



"I think I'll be okay," he said. "If I ever start to feel tired, I'll
find a spot to pull over and we'll switch."



"If you insist... but I WILL be driving us back to base tomorrow
morning- you aren't doing this both ways. Are you sure you'll be okay?"
she asked. "Not just about the driving, but... well, we ARE going to
see your father again. Last time we went, things didn't go so good."



"No, they didn't. But I promised him I'd show up for this, so we could
try and, uh, 'reconcile.' Believe it or not, as bad as it was, looking
back on it, our best meeting since my brother killed himself was the
time you were with me." He paused. "Actually, I'm more worried about
how the car will react to the trip- I haven't been taking very good care
of it since joining the SV2, and I think I've used it more the past
three months or so than I have since I bought it four years ago."



Noa beamed at him enthusiastically. "That's okay. I've gotten pretty
good at fixing things since the mechanics and Sakaki started..." She
suddenly sobered, her voice catching. "And Sakaki started training me.
Asuma... what is the SV2 going to be like without him? He was always
able to keep us stable, and it was him who kept Alphonse and the other
labors so smoothly tuned. I can't believe he's going- he's... well, not
quite like a father, but maybe like an uncle to me!"



Asuma glanced at her in concern, but quickly turned his attention back
to the road before he got into an accident. "He's not dying- just
retiring. I'm sure we'll be able to keep in touch with him from time to
time. And while Shige's a bit, hmm, overenthusiastic at times, he's
also an even better technical mechanic than Sakaki and has been able to
keep the other people in the squad running smoothly when Sakaki isn't
there to hang over his shoulder."



Noa nodded. "I know... but I'm still going to miss him a lot."



"Yeah, well... so am I, but I'm trying to not let it get to me. At
least, not while he's still with us. He'll be back, anyway- I'm sure of
it. Just like Kanuka has been." Asuma heard Noa yawn loudly. "If you
really don't want to sleep in the car, then maybe we should stop and get
you a fresh cup of coffee or something- it sounds as if you're still
having a hard time staying awake."



"I am," Noa admitted. "But don't bother. I think I'll just risk the
cricked neck and take a nap. I need the rest... wake me when we're
about an hour away from your father's home, okay?"



* * * * *



Asuma shook his head, recalling that dream Noa had told him about. It
certainly was perplexing, and incredibly intriguing. He recalled a
similar dream he'd had- well, probably not all that similar. Just sort
of the same theme- he'd had a dream that Noa should have had.



Recollecting it had been rather fun. Then, just as they were about to
pull into the driveway to his father's house, he just had to blow it by
bringing up Sakaki's retirement again. Well, the retirement party,
really, but that was enough to sadden her. And him, too, now that he
thought about it.



It was, perhaps, the perfect thing to think about right before a visit
with his father. Set the mood just right. The crick in Noa's neck didn
't help HER mood, either.



Together, the frustrated pair walked up to the side door and knocked.
Tsukai opened the door, and gestured for them to enter. They tumbled
in, carrying their overnight bags and not looking very happy.



"Just show us to our rooms and leave us alone for a while to freshen
up," Noa muttered.



The butler surruptitiously glanced over at a nearby clock. "I believe
that can be arranged. You're in the same rooms as before. The party
isn't for another half-hour, so you can have until then." He paused.
"Your father, however, would like to speak with you beforehand, Asuma."



Asuma sighed. "Of course. Drop my bags off in my room for me, Noa- I'
ll try and get this over with as soon as I can."



Noa just took his suitcase and muttered, "Yeah, whatever," as she made
her way down the hall to the rooms she remembered spending the night in
last time she was there.



Asuma grimmaced at Tsukai. "Well, lead the way."



With a flourish, the butler guided Asuma to a room in the middle of the
residence. There, accompanied by television screens picturing every
room in the house (including Noa's room, where she was going through her
suitcases assembling a fresh outfit), sat Okami Shinohara. Okami was
definitely NOT happy.



"So, son. Happy to see that you actually came by," he said, in a tone
that indicated he was anything but happy.



Asuma frowned at him. Usually, his father waited until after they'd
formally greeted each other to get upset, but it didn't seem like that
was the case this time. "I see you're still keeping tabs on everyone in
the house. Don't you think the cameras in the bathrooms are a bit
much?"



Okami refused to rise to the bait. "Noa seemed to be rather upset when
she came in, today. I was going to let you in on a little secret,
today, but if you're not treating that poor girl right then you'll
probably never get around to using it."



His son snorted. "Since when have I ever cared whether you give me
something or not? And, just for your information, she is NOT upset
because of me. A friend of ours is being forced into retirement, and
she's a little upset about that."



The elder Shinohara nodded grudgingly. "I'll buy that. However, even
if she is upset for some other reason, it is YOUR responsibility to make
her feel happy, again."



Asuma bent down, getting right into his father's face. "Like you made
MOM feel happy when she was 'upset?'" he growled.



At that, Okami flinched. "Leave your mother out of this. Or, if you
want, then at least allow me to tell you what mistakes I made with her
without arguing every step of the way."



Asuma shook his head. "I may wind up making mistakes with her, but they
'll be MY mistakes, and on my terms. Noa is different from mother, and
if I try to treat my girlfriend the way you SHOULD have treated your
wife, I'm likely to make more mistakes than if I just treated her like
she was Noa."



Okami sighed. "Well, I've tried to warn you, but if you won't listen
there's nothing I can do about it."



Asuma backed off suspiciously. "No pressure? No threats? No..."



His voice trailed off as he finally saw what was happening on the
monitor behind his father. Noa was in the process of stripping off her
clothes, and the picture on the screen showed she was just about to
unhook her bra.



Asuma had seen Noa in various states of undress before. Once, when she
was fanning herself from the heat while they sat together on the rooftop
of SV2 headquarters, he peaked down her shirt to see that she hadn't
been wearing a bra. They'd gone swimming enough that he'd memorized
what she looked like in a swimsuit. Recently, she'd exposed quite a bit
more of herself to him than he'd seen before, however- when he'd been
giving her a massage after the Kana concert, she'd been bareback- all
she would have had to do to give him quite an eyeful would have been to
turn over.



Noa also knew that he was a bit of a peeping tom. Recently, he'd snuck
into the locker rooms when she was supposed to be changing- that day,
however, she'd been detained by Shige so that they could go over the
upcoming available dates and times for her mechanics instruction. So,
instead of him catching her in a mild state of undress, she caught him
peering around the lockers from what he'd thought was a pretty good
hiding place.



She'd been good-natured about it at the time. He remembered her
berating him for the dream she'd just had, because it involved him
peeping on her (and, Asuma realized, he would probably never hear anyone
again say, 'You made me have wet dreams about myself, you jerk!' in such
a good-natured way again). She even gave him permission to watch her
'if he could catch her.' However, he hadn't had a good opportunity to
see more than she was intending to show in a while, and the interesting
placement of this camera view was giving him a much better shot than he'
d likely have seen from the hiding spot he'd found in the locker room.



Asuma's father, however, was completely unaware of the events
transpiring on the television screen behind him. He just figured that
the boy had run out of his current supply of vitriol, and was waiting
for some kind of response before resuming the attack.



"I'm not going to fight you this time, son," he said. "It is your
birthday, after all, and I want to at least try and remain civil. So
just go, freshen up, and get ready for your party."



Asuma averted his eyes before Noa gave him the unintended surprise
birthday present of a rather spectacular (in his mind) view. He might
like to peep, but he was honest about it- if there was no way for him to
get caught, then it didn't seem fair to the girl he was peaking at.



"Uh, right, pops. I'd better get going now- see you later." He rushed
out, not looking back.



"That was odd," Okami remarked before turning around and seeing what it
was that had really chased his son from the room. He smiled
appreciatively for a moment- she might not have the movie-star standards
of most of the women he dealt with in high society, but for someone like
his son she wasn't bad looking at all. However, he was quick to flip
the switch that gave the girl her privacy- that particular sight was one
which really should be reserved for his son, alone.



* * * * *



Asuma knocked on the door to Noa's room and waited. A few minutes
later, she opened it, a big grin on her face.



"You didn't try to peak this time? It WAS safe to, you know," she said,
almost laughing. Catching him in the locker room was fresh in her mind,
and while she did give him permission to peak on her (sort of- she wasn'
t sure what she'd really do if she caught him) she had warned him that
if he caught her with another girl in that situation, he would be in
very big trouble. For that reason, it was 'dangerous' for him to try
and catch her unawares in the locker room or bathrooms, since there was
a high probability that one of the other girls would be present. This
was his first chance since then.



"No," he said shortly, thinking back to a few minutes ago.



Noa leaned in, looking at him closely. Her smile grew in size and
deviousness. "Were you tempted?"



"You have no idea," he muttered under his breath. "You about ready to
go? My father's ordering us to lunch."



She glanced down to make doubly sure she looked okay. "Yeah, I'm
ready."



"Let's go, then," he said. As he lead her out of the room and took her
arm to help guide her, he smirked. "Don't think you're completely safe,
though, even though I haven't tried yet. I have your permission, now,
after all."



* * * * *



The lunch started out as a rather quiet affair. Asuma and Okami were
shooting dark glances at each other across the table, and Noa didn't
quite know what to say. Thankfully, someone joined them who helped to
open up the discussion.



"Well, happy birthday, Asuma! It's wonderful to see you here,"
Jitsuyama, following Tsukai into the room, proclaimed jovially. There
was a slight emphasis on the word 'here.'



"Jitsuyama!" Asuma crowed, an honest smile breaking out on his face. "I
had no idea you were planning to come by."



"And miss your birthday party? Hardly!" the elderly plant engineer
laughed. "Sorry I'm late, sir."



Okami waved a hand dismissively. "What kept you?"



"Minor accident on the assembly line," Jitsuyama said, sitting down at
the table.



"Was anyone hurt?" Noa asked, concerned.



"How much damage did the plant suffer?" was the elder Shinohara's
simultaneous question.



"It turned out to just be a piece of cloth jammed into one of the
conveyer belts. We were able to get it out with no damage and little
time lost, but then I had to file all the necessary reports and things."
Nodding to Noa, he added, "And no, no-one was hurt."



Asuma snorted. "Typical of you to worry more about the equipment than
the people, pop."



Okami opened his mouth to respond, but shut it again with a snap. "I
said I didn't want to fight with you today, son, so I won't. I think a
change of subject is in order, don't you?"



Asuma just nodded, returning to his food without comment. Noa looked
from him to his father in concern, but said nothing. Jitsuyama decided
to push the conversation forward- though he thought it best if he not
direct his attention to the fueding family members.



"Well, Noa, I wasn't expecting to see you here. How'd you get an
invite?" he asked with only slightly forced enthusiasm.



Noa smiled a little, glad for the distraction. "Well, Asuma and I had
to come by a few weeks ago on a case, so I got to meet his father,
and... well, I could hardly miss my partner's birthday celebration,
could I?"



Jitsuyama smiled. "Of course not. How are things going out there in
the SV2? We haven't seen much of your unit's labors, recently."



Noa winced. "Well, we've been out of major action, recently, thanks to
my having been injured recently in a non-labor-related incident. We've
had some minor cases, but nothing which resulted in any damage to
Alphonse."



"Oh? What happened to you?"



"Interdepartmental softball game," Asuma answered for her. His hands
tightened around the water glass he was holding as he recounted the
story for his father and family friend. Everyone in the room could see
his anger against the riot squad rising as he remembered how she was
injured. They could also see, just as clearly, how he was almost
instantaneously calmed by Noa's gentle grasp on his shoulder.



"He stayed with me the whole time I was in the hospital," she added
wistfully after he had finished. "He used up a lot of his accumulated
leave time to do it, as well- he's lucky he had enough to come here
today."



Okami clucked his teeth, and Asuma braced himself for the reprimand he
was sure would come. In fact, he could hear the lecture in his head
already- that he shouldn't have 'neglected his duties to his job' to be
with her while she recovered. No words of reproach left the elder man's
mouth, however. Instead, he directed his attention to Noa, herself.



"I'm amazed that, after all the action you've been in, it was just a
simple softball game that sent you to the hospital," Asuma's father
began briskly.



She smiled pleasantly at him. "Well, sir, you've built your labors
well. Alphonse, my Ingram, has protected me well, even after having
been nearly ripped apart in some actions." Noa shuddered as she
recalled her first major action against the Griffon, and the near
nervous breakdown that incident had caused. "Your son's done a good job
of watching my back, as well. He's saved me from certain disaster quite
a number of times."



Jitsuyama shook his head. "I remember seeing some of those incidents on
the news- it's scary how much action you've seen at such a young age."



Okami nodded. "Yes- I especially recall the incidents involving the
Griffin. I've seen the tapes, but what was it like to engage in combat
against that remarkable machine?"



Asuma sniffed. "Trying to get some insight into your competition,
dad?""



"No, Asuma," his father replied, rolling his eyes. "I've got all the
statistical data I might need on the Griffin. I'm just trying to make
conversation- don't be so defensive!"



Noa sighed. Really, this father-son conflict was too much, but both of
them had points, sometimes. However, this was one time which, largely
because of her personal experiences, she knew some of Asuma's bitterness
was deserved- after all, where was his father when he needed him, then?
"Can we talk about something else, please?" she asked. "The Griffin
incidents were... not pleasant memories for me. I wouldn't think they'd
be for you, either, Mr. Shinohara- your son was nearly killed by the
thing."



"He was?" he said, sounding genuinely surprised. "How?"



Noa blinked. "You mean you don't know? How he got into a fight with
the Griffin while he was testing the earliest prototype of your
economy-model Ingram? How he was battered around in the thing until his
ribs were broken? How he went to the hospital and..." her voice broke.
"Well, it was a hard time for all of us in the SV2. But I'm still
surprised you didn't know about that."



Okami's eyes flashed at Jitsuyama, but the elder plant chief just
shrugged. "No, I hadn't heard. I was aware our economy Ingram had been
trashed by the thing, but I didn't know that was the reason why. I wasn
't even aware Asuma had been piloting the thing."



"I had to see if it could stand up to the rigors of police work," Asuma
explained. "I discovered it was just a piece of junk- the whole thing
started falling apart from the inside the moment I had to use it with
any speed."



Okami frowned. "Is that why you asked for the SV2 to be made test
pilots for the improved economy model?"



Noa looked over at Asuma in surprise- she hadn't been aware that he'd
arranged for that. In fact, she didn't know he COULD arrange for
something like that. He and his father had still been estranged at the
time.



"I suppose you could say that, yes," Asuma nodded. "I figured that if
Noa felt that the labor was good enough to replace her Alphonse, then it
might be worthwhile adopting the economy model. To be honest, I don't
think even the Peacemakers could have beaten her in that competition you
arranged, afterwards."



Okami shrugged. "From what I know of the battle with the Griffin, I
must agree. Tell me, Ms. Izumi, what is your background in labor
piloting prior to joining the Patlabor division of the police?"



"Background? I'd never actually piloted a labor, before," Noa said. "I
'd always wanted to, however, and it seemed like a good way of doing it.
I worked as a meter maid to send myself to the academy, and it wasn't
until I got to Fuji I had any training at all. I had about 40 hours
worth of labor time in simulations and training labors when I first
started piloting Alphonse..."



He looked at her in surprise. "Really? I'm amazed that someone like
you would get an opportunity to pilot a patlabor with no prior
experience..."



Noa frowned, not liking how that sounded. "What to you mean 'someone
like me?'"



The elder Shinohara shrugged. "A mere slip of a girl like you- combat
labors weren't designed with people like you in mind. Why, the mere
physical demands, alone, are more than most women should have to
endure."



Noa grit her teeth. "You mean, just because I'm a girl, I shouldn't be
piloting Patlabors?"



Okami shook his head. "No, no, no- you misunderstand me. Well, you're
partially right, but that's not what I meant. When we were calibrating
the tests for combat labors, such as your Ingram, we had a default model
for the pilot which did not include feminine body types. We simply
weren't expecting women to pilot them."



"But women were piloting MILITARY labors, then! I know- I've met some
of them. And unit 1's captain is a woman, and she was one of the first
Patlabor pilots! Why wouldn't you expect women to pilot labors?" Noa
exclaimed.



Jitsuyama, Tsukai, and Asuma all shared glances of equal dismay. They
knew where this was headed, and couldn't think of how to head it off.



"Dad, don't-" Asuma tried to say.



Ignoring his son, the elder Shinohara answered, "Well, isn't it obvious?
Piloting labors, combat, fighting, making arrests- those are all mens
work. Women in the police aren't really supposed to be anything other
than meter maids-"



There was a loud snapping sound as Noa stiffened so quickly that the
crick in her neck popped. "And why is that?" she said evenly.



"Well, imagine if you got yourself hurt? A woman's prospects for
marraige would be GONE, just like that, if something happened! Why-"



"DAD!" Asuma bellowed, interrupting the argument and bolting out of his
chair. "THIS is why we get into so many fights. Have you forgotten
that this is now the 21st century? Do you even know what you're
SAYING?! Why-"



"No, Asuma," Noa said coolly, laying a hand on his shoulder and forcing
him back into his seat. "Your father is entitled to his opinions.
Which, as it turns out, mirrors my father's as well. My father didn't
want me to get a job in labors, either." With determination, she picked
up her chopsticks and started eating. "And I can ignore him, just like
I do my own dad. So hurry up and finish eating- it's easier to ignore
someone if you can walk away from them when they start acting stupidly."



Asuma settled down, but continued to glare at his father as he rapidly
(though civilly) devoured his birthday lunch. Noa finished shortly
before he did, and she stood up. "I've got something I've got to do-
can you come help me, Asuma?"



Asuma just nodded, pausing to send one last angry look at his father
before scrambling out of the room after her- like, most of those present
would have noted in more pleasant circumstances, a puppy dog following
its master.



Jitsuyama and Tsukai both turned harsh eyes towards the Shinohara
patriach as well. He had the grace to look a little embarrassed.
"Oops," he said. "I seem to have offended the girl."



Tsukai said nothing, just turning and leaving the room without a word.
Jitsuyama, on the other hand...



"'Offended the girl' you say! Talk about the understatement of the
year," he snapped. "You shouldn't antagonize people like that- doing it
to your own son is bad enough. But to his friends!? And what was she
doing here, anyway? I understood this was a family gathering, only."



"She is family," Okami replied.



"Is she? How?" the engineer asked curiously.



"Well, they've been dating for a few months, now," Okami replied. "I
was going to let Asuma know that I'd arranged a dowry for her with her
parents, so he could go ahead and ask her if he was thinking about-"



"WHAT?!" Jitsuyama bellowed, erupting out of his seat much like Asuma
had done, earlier. "Do you know just how much trouble everyone in the
entire Tokyo Police department- and the SV2 in particular- have gone
through to keep their relationship officially a secret? Everyone knows,
those two are the best damned tandem team in the entire world when it
comes to operating a Patlabor, and so all the 'evidence' of their
relationship is ignored. But if word came out that a dowry had been
arranged, do you KNOW what would happen? Internal Affairs couldn't just
sweep that under the rug- it would have to investigate. And the
investigation would easily show that they were having some kind of
relationship that would be forbidden in the bylaws of the force. They'd
be separated, at best- more likely, thrown off the force altogether.
Both of their names would be smeared across the papers- not just because
he's your son, but because they ARE known as the most effective team in
all of SV2... which, as you are no doubt aware, doesn't have much of a
reputation to begin with. Their lives would be ruined. And, if that
isn't enough to make you realize just how dangerous that is, if THEY
were caught up in this scandal, then the entire Patlabor program is
likely to crumble. Which means we lose possibly the most lucrative
contract in the country."



Okami blinked up at his chief plant engineer, stunned that the man would
have the audacity to speak to him that way. Then he thought about what
the man was saying, and sighed. "Relax, old friend. It's not as bad as
you think- both I and Noa's father know enough to keep it a secret.
Only he, I, and my lawyer knows. And my lawyer only knows because I had
to change my will." He paused. "Asuma's getting everything when he
marries her. But not until he marries her, even if I pass on before
then. We even worked it out so that inheritance laws aren't a concern
if they don't marry before I'm dead- and they'll still be able to keep
it a secret."



Jitsuyama frowned. "I still don't like it..."



"And if it's officially such a 'secret,' how do you know about their
relationship, anyway?" Okami asked, grinning.



"How do YOU know?" the engineer shot back.



"They told me. Now answer my question."



Jitsuyama was startled by that answer. "They... TOLD you? They
admitted it?"



"The girl did, specifically."



Jitsuyama whistled. "I never thought that would happen. I figured
they'd elope on you, first- if they started admitting it at all. How
long ago was this? Officer Yoriko, one of the traffic cops in Bokuto
province, has been running a betting pool for how long it would take for
them to realize they liked each other. I had Valentines Day of this
year...."



Okami blinked. "Just... how widespread is their 'secret'?"



Jitsuyama laughed. "Well, everyone knows they like each other. That's
never been in question- I suspect even the commissioner himself knows,
he just chooses to ignore it so that no action is taken against them.
The unofficial official position on it is, 'we all know it's happening,
but there's no proof so we'll just ignore it.' I imagine it's being
kept secret on several levels. Only they know how far they've really
gone, together, exactly, but I suspect outside of them you're on the
closest tier to knowing the 'truth' about them, since you have their
admission. And you're trying to keep it all a secret, of course. Then
there's the immediate friends and associates who weren't entrusted with
this information- people like their teammates in the SV2. They don't
KNOW anything, outside of the obvious- they like each other- but they
definitely have their suspicions. And, of course, they won't say
anything, either. Then there's the people who just know the rumors, but
they, of course, won't risk telling their superiors- for one thing,
everyone LIKES them, and for another... well, it's just a rumor, after
all. They don't have any proof. Of course, the superiors aren't
clueless, they have ears- but they only hear the rumors secondhand, in
bits and pieces. And, well, why would they act on secondhand rumors
about something they don't have any real solid evidence about? So they
never say anything, either..."



"So, what you're saying is, everyone knows," Shinohara chuckled.



"Well, all of Tokyo does, at least."



"Does my son know all of this?"



Jitsuyama shrugged. "I dunno. He probably knows that there are rumors
about him and Noa- after all, one time one of his teammates accused him
of getting the poor girl pregnant! That, though, I can guarantee was
before anything had actually happened between them, so obviously his
accuser was wrong. Still, he has to be aware of some of it...."



"If everyone knows, why do they bother with the secrecy?" Okami asked,
puzzled. As sad as it was, even he had to admit that Jitsuyama probably
would understand Asuma's reasoning better than he would. After all,
Jitsuyama was the one who always babysat the boy whenever he took him
into work- which was quite often.



"As I said, there's no proof yet. If they came out and admitted it to
their superiors, well... Internal Affairs would have to investigate, no
question there. And I already told you what would happen then...."



Shinohara sighed. Then he perked up. "Well, it sounds as if this...
Yoriko, was it? Yoriko's pool is done with. How about I start another
one. How long do you think it will be before they get new jobs so they
can become more open with there relationship, anyway?"



Jitsuyama thought about it and grinned. "Well, Asuma's pretty stubborn
about things, but once he's made a decision he'll work relentlessly
towards achieving it. He's also a reluctant romantic, as well. It's a
bit of a toss-up between February 14th and March 14th next year, for me,
but knowing him...."



* * * * *



Asuma sighed as the door to the dining room closed behind them. "Sorry
about that, Noa," he apologized. "Bringing you here was obviously a bad
idea."



Noa shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Like I said back there, he's just
like my own father. I can't tell you the number of times my dad
objected to my career in labors, because 'if you get one injury, it's
over for you!'" She shook her head in disgust. "I just want to take a
nice, long bath to relieve the stress."



Asuma ducked into the hallway that their rooms were in, following on
Noa's heels. "Yeah. I need some time to recover, as well- we've got to
deal with dad for both dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow."



Noa went into her room, but then paused. She glanced over at Asuma, an
unreadable expression on her face. "They're wrong, aren't they?"



Asuma blinked, joining her. "Eh? Who? What?"



"If I get one injury, it won't be over for me, will it?" she asked.
"You'll stick with me, won't you?"



Asuma nodded. "I'm not quite ready to say 'til death do we part' just
yet, but essentially that's what I feel right now."



She grinned. "Thank you, Asuma. I needed to hear that." To reward him
for his declaration, she pulled him close and started kissing him.



They'd been doing this a lot, recently. Especially since March 14th, or
White Day, when Asuma presented her with a rather impressive array of
chocolates. As it turns out, it was later in that day she'd first
caught him trying to peep on her... and, for some reason, that had made
Noa even more decisive in their relationship, taking any opportunity for
a make-out session she could find. Which wasn't really that often,
since it was so hard to find enough privacy, but she was definitely
upping their relationship a bit- and was upping it even more, now. For
the first time, Noa was guiding Asuma's hands, sliding them under her
shirt and up far enough that he could feel the lace in her bra.



It was... enjoyable, that much was certain. But, unfortunately, Asuma
was all too aware of their surroundings. Once he remembered where they
were and what they were doing, he pull his lips- and his hand- away.
"Not now," he whispered hoarsely. "We can't do this now."



Noa's eyes opened, and she glared at him. She didn't really want to go
all the way- just to play around a bit- but she would never have
expected him to just turn her down like this. "Why not?!" she growled,
stamping her foot in frustration.



Asuma would have laughed at the picture of Noa, looking like a petulant
child demanding to know why her toy had been taken away, if he had not
felt the same desperation. "Not here. My father has cameras in this
room- and our bathrooms. I've seen his monitor room- earlier today,
too- and I couldn't find anywhere in this house, or on the surrounding
grounds, he can't see from there. I don't want him to have a free show
of the two of us."



Noa reined in her hormones- she was all primed for a good make-out
session, but it seemed she wouldn't be able to have one of those right
now. "I guess we'll have to wait... but now it looks like I'll need a
shower. Feels like you might need one, too- a cold one."



Asuma glanced down, noticed the bulge in his trousers, and blushed.
"Eep!" he screeched, dashing off in the direction of his bathroom. With
a grin on her face, Noa turned and went into her own.



'I guess I can turn him on, after all. I was beginning to wonder about
that,' she thought.



-------------------------

Note: Noa's dream, and the whole 'peeking' incident, are both to be
recounted in an upcoming OAV. Remember, however, that the OAVs aren't
going to be started until after episode 22 (and then I think I'll do 4
of them, or roughly 1/3 of those planned so far. None of those 4, by
the way, will be for this incident... as that'll have spoilers for
Season 2! Heheheh! (Am I evil, or what? Uh, never mind, don't answer
that.)

Next Episode: Kanuka heads off for her assignment to the Academy, Unit
2 in tow. By the time Gotoh returns to headquarters, however, crime is
on the rampage and the rest of the SV2 is falling apart.